Bay Area

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Sr. Nodelyn Abayan, SSS

Sr. Nodelyn has always wanted to be a Spiritual Director. She felt the call to this ministry because of the various inspirations she had gotten from her own spiritual directors. She feels that the world hunger for people who truly listens with a compassionate heart.  She earned her training from Mercy Center, Burlingame, for three years. She also did a Contemplative Practice Certificate from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in the same year. She is currently the Northern California Vocation Director of her community, the Sisters of Social Service. She had given retreats internationally and locally. She also has a meditation group that meets every Tuesday. 

“Spiritual direction is a continuous process of formation and guidance, in which a  Christian is led and encouraged in his/her  special vocation, so that by faithful correspondence to the graces of the Holy Spirit he/she  may attain to the particular end of his/her  vocation and to union with God”-Thomas Merton

Karen Sullivan

Karen feels called to “be with” others as a spiritual director/companion. She understands spiritual direction/companionship to be a ministry of listening, discernment and prayer in a confidential setting of encouragement and compassion. She welcomes people from all faith traditions or none, and those who may have lost their faith or feel marginalized within it. Karen received her Certificate of Completion from The Spiritual Direction Institute of Mercy Center, Burlingame in 2016. She also holds a BFA and an MFA in the Performing Arts. She has served the St Agnes and Most Holy Redeemer Church communities in Music Ministry for over 30 years. She practices Centering Prayer and Yoga. Karen lives in San Francisco. She is the mother of two grown children.

“One of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen.” -John O’Donohue

Ann Naffziger

After receiving her Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School and Masters in Biblical Languages from the Graduate Theological Union, Ann worked as a hospital chaplain before moving into parish ministry where she has worked with children, parents, and adults, taught scripture classes, and led the RCIA program. She was the field education supervisor for MDiv students at the Jesuit School for four years. Currently, she is the Associate Director of The Pastoral Center, a small pastoral publishing company based in Alameda, California.

“As a spiritual director, I don’t presume to know what is best for you - but God knows. My job is to help you recognize and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit who is already actively leading you

Sandra Yap

 Sandra has a Master of Spiritual Direction in Ignatian Spirituality from the University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia.  She desires to accompany others in their spiritual journey, since she herself has had such an incredible discovery of the relevance and beauty of Ignatian spirituality in her own faith journey.  Her response to those graces and her own relationship with Christ, impel her to help accompany others find the same joy and friendship with God. 

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Barbara Jimenez

Collette Lafia

Collete completed a 3-year formation program through Mercy Center, Burlingame, with an emphasis on interior growth, discernment, and contemplative listening. Received certification Spring 2007.   She has also completed the Living School, through the Center for Action and Contemplation, in August of 2019.

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Diane Clyne, RSM

    Diane has completed the spiritual direction program at Mercy Center, Burlingame and has also attended  
     Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, California.  She has lived in a variety of countries and settings.  While
     in Central America she received individual mentoring in spiritual direction and is available to give
     direction in Spanish and English.  In her own words she believes, Spiritual companioning allows each person to
     attend to the myriad ways God is present in our lives. While these are such challenging times,  many are finding
     more paths to recognize the Divine. Conversations are virtual these days, but within the  year ahead we may
     have the opportunity to meet face to face.

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David Olson

    David has a Doctor of Ministry degree in spiritual formation and a Masters of
    Divinity, both through Fuller Theological Seminary.  In his own words, Spiritual
    Direction is a practice with a long history in the Christian church, and is practiced in
    most of the world's religions. It is the art of Holy Listening, where one can share
    whatever is in one's heart or mind with a trained, sensitive listener who then reflects
    back what he or she perceives as the presence and motion of God in your life. I believe
    that my training (I  have studied both counseling and spiritual direction and done
    pastoral work for decades) and my life experience (all 75 years of it, till now) have equipped me to listen deeply and respond wisely to the situations people are in. I believe my extensive reading and my exposure to people in many cultures have enlarged my ability to understand and respect a person in any circumstance. I have learned that we grow and heal in the journey, so I feel  am able to affirm people in their specific journey and support them in the steps they are taking.

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Will Simpson

    Will comes to his work as a Spiritual Director through the Roman Catholic tradition
     and is familiar with the  
     Orthodox Church tradition, having at one time explored the Orthodox faith as a catechumen.  He has also
     been recruited by a large non-denominational Christian church in San Francisco to facilitate a contemplative
     group and is familiar with the Reform tradition.  In his own words, I have a love for people, their stories and
     journeys from every walk of life. My direction is one of deep listening with the heart to the heart and create a
     safe and open spacious environment.
    

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I was formed as a Benedictine monk and also at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, Ca. graduating from their School of Spiritual Direction.I am also a mentor/facilitator in their Sacred Journey Program and in The Art and Practice of Spiritual Direction. I integrate primarily Benedictine, Celtic and Ignatian Spirituality but I also am very familiar with non denominational practices.

Heidi Kallen

    Heidi has graduated from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley's summer spiritual direction practicum and is also a alum of the Pierre Favre 19th Annotation training program at The Jesuit Retreat Center El Retiro San Inigo, Los Altos.  Heidi began offering spiritual accompaniment and facilitating retreats for university students in her role as co-director of study abroad programs in El Salvador and the Philippines from 2010-2017. In 2015, Heidi made her 30-day silent retreat at El Retiro, a Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos. Her experience of the Spiritual Exercises, sparked a desire in her to seek additional formation in spiritual direction and the Spiritual Exercises. Heidi completed a spiritual direction practicum at the JST in Berkeley in 2016 and she is currently in her second year of the Pierre Favre spiritual direction program.  Heidi is a spiritual director at the ISLC and has been one of the spiritual directors for the Jesuit Volunteers in San Francisco for the past 3 years.

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